When I was a child, I remember the excitement of waiting for the mail deliverer… of peeking out our window to see if the red flag was down to show that the outgoing mail had been picked up and today’s mail was waiting. Most of it was for my parents, of course, but every now and then, there was a letter or card for me!
The holidays revive a little of that childhood excitement as I walk inside from the end of our driveway, separating the Christmas cards from the bills and advertisements as I go. But even most of those cards contain only family pictures, not personal notes. Of course, I don’t even remember the last time I wrote or received a personal letter. What is the point when e-mail travels within seconds?
And yet, I feel like we are losing something precious by making most of our writing digital.
There is a box of letters upstairs in my parents’ home full of letters my grandparents wrote to each other when they were separated during World War II. I look forward to sitting down and reading them someday… seeing their handwriting, touching the paper that has lasted two generations now.
What will my children have someday? What will their children have? A thumb drive? Access to my Facebook account? Surely we can help them preserve something more tangible!
With all this in mind, how do we nurture a love of letter-writing in a digital age? Here are some simple ideas.
Teach Your Kids to Write Thank You Notes
Now, after the holidays, is a great time to start! Keep the format simple for little ones – “Dear ___, Thank you for ___ … I am having fun _____ … Love, _____. ” Get them into the habit now – it is easier to keep it up than to start it later!
Have Your Children Correspond With Relatives
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… if the other person is willing, ask them to write first, as nothing is more motivating than getting a letter from someone who wants to know about you!
Find Your Kids a Pen Pal
There are some great online, child-safe websites where you can help your child find a pen pal. Some, like Amazing Kids or Pen Pal World charge a small fee. You can also find a pen pal through an organization you are already in (American Heritage Girls does this annually for its members), with a friend who has just moved, or even with a friend across town or down the street.
Keep a Parent-Child Dialogue Journal
“Mama Jenn” provides a great idea for writing back and forth between you and your child, asking and answering questions.
Have Your Children Write to a Favorite Author, a Politician, or Someone Else Famous
You might want to do some research first to make sure they choose someone who will actually write back (so someone who is still living and has a reputation for being caring of young fans). One of my most treasured possessions from childhood is a letter that I received (and autographed pictures!) from Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger on TV many, many years ago.
Set up a Regular Time to Write Letters
We try to do this on Mondays as part of our homeschool curriculum because I know that if I don’t have a regular time carved out, it won’t get done!
With a little effort on our part now, we can set our children up to carry on the tradition of letter-writing, and even pass it on to their children’s generation.
